COMFORT

When the sun shines you have a roomy cockpit to stretch out in, with high coamings slanting back at a comfortable angle. But when it's cold or wet you'll appreciate the protection of the cozy cabin.

The Montgomery 15 doesn't have a lapstrake hull just to look pretty! She's built with this design for several other important reasons. When you're in the cockpit of a 15' boat you aren't very far away from the bow. With a smooth-hulled boat in a chop that means you're going to get wet. Most people are pleasantly surprised with how dry the Montgomery 15 is. That's because with our hull every strake acts as a spray rail, deflecting water out and away from the boat. Combined with her beamy sea-kindly hull shape, the lapstrake design has a dampening effect on pitching in a headsea and a better motion in quartering seas.

We'll start by saying right up front that we didn't design the Montgomery 15 to be a racing boat, so we didn't have to make any compromises to beat a rule or obtain a more favorable rating. However, we've never believed that sailing performance had to be sacrificed for the sake of comfort and cruisability. You'll find that the Montgomery 15 has the sail area needed to get going in light air, yet her fractional rigged sail plan is properly positioned and adjustable to allow easy reefing when the wind pipes up. We use slab (jiffy) reefing because it's the easiest, most reliable and effective way of reefing the mainsail. It also gives the best shape to the reefed sail. So when the heavy stuff comes the Montgomery 15 will still be sailing resolutely along after the other minicruisers have long since gone in.

A standard shaft 2 hp outboard will easily drive the Montgomery 15 at hull speed, which is surprisingly high for a 15' boat because of her long waterline.

At 750 pounds your Montgomery 15 can be towed by even today's small compact cars, something not practical with heavier boats. Our keel/ centerboard design not only gives you keel-boat performance, but makes trailering, launching and retrieving your Montgomery 15 a breeze. The deck-stepped aluminum mast is light enough for one person to raise and lower - a real plus for singlehanded sailers. With the simple three stay rig, once you raise the mast all you have to do is attach the forestay and the standing rigging is complete. The running rigging is equally simple and straightforward. After you've rigged your Montgomery 15 a few times you'll be able to drive up and sail away in 15 minutes.

The overall length and height of the Montgomery 15 allows the boat to easily fit in most standard home garages, eliminating the expense of leasing a slip. Best of all, her practical size will have you day-sailing a pristine lake one weekend and coastal cruising the next.

Sailing is sunny days and fair winds, yet the wise sailor takes precautions against the unexpected. The best precaution you can take is to make sure your boat has the ability to handle the unforeseen. The Montgomery 15 has the stability to handle a sudden gust of wind and the strength to weather a surprise storm. She has positive foam flotation. That means shell float even if filled with water. She's also self-righting, even from a completely knocked down position. The high coamings of the selfbailing cockpit give you the security of knowing that what needs to stay in the cockpit will, and what shouldn't be in the cockpit will drain out.

When it's time to change a sail or pick up a mooring you'll appreciate our wide side decks and sure-grip non-skid. Our non-skid deck and cockpit surfaces are second to none. Its pattern is permanently molded in and provides excellent traction in even the wettest conditions. The full length teak toe rails also assure firm footing and look great.

Safety is one more area where our lapstrake hull design has an advantage over other boats. With our lapstrake lay-up we achieve a much stronger, rigid hull than is possible with the same lay-up in a smooth skinned hull.

Here's a thought on seaworthiness: In June 1982, Little Breeze, a nearly stock Montgomery 15 (same lay-up in the hull and deck and the same rig as every other Montgomery 15) set sail from California, headed for Hawaii. Mike Mann, her owner and sole passenger, arrived in Oahu 36 days later - a remarkably quick passage for a boat of 15 feet. Mike encountered the full range of weather, from dead calm to catching the tail end of Hurricane Daniel. Through it all Mike says the boat "handled extremely well. "

Of course, the Montgomery 15 wasn't designed for crossing oceans, but the Little Breeze passage to Hawaii illustrates the fact that the Montgomery 15 is a very seaworthy vessel. You don't have to be coastal cruising to be concerned about seaworthiness - the safety of you and your loved ones is just as important when you're on an inland lake.

By now you can tell that we put a lot of care and forethought into everything we do. The pride we have in our boats is carried through to the small details of construction and outfitting. We bond and through-bolt our hull-deck-toe rail joint because it's the best method there is. All of our fiberglass parts are laid-up by hand. Our non-skid is the real thing, molded in. The hardware on the boat is carefully selected to be the best for its function, with wide margins of strength to withstand unexpected loads. This includes our heavy duty mast and boom extrusions. They're clear anodized for corrosion resistance and low maintenance. All the standing rigging is top quality 1/8" lxl9 stainless steel wire. The running rigging is low stretch dacron yacht braid, and the main halyard is wire to rope, so stretch is held to an absolute minimum. Instead of the inexpensive plastic variety, our hefty mooring cleats are hard black anodized cast aluminum. They're backed with large metal plates and will not bend, break or pull out.

Of course, you can design the cleanest hull shape and use the finest construction methods, but if you put bargain sails on a boat it will only have mediocre sailing performance. We supply high quality sails with the Montgomery 15, cut to our exacting standards out of durable, long lasting 3.8 ounce dacron.

When you consider the superior design, sturdy construction and functional accommodations of the Montgomery 15, add to that her comfort, performance, trailerability and safety - what do you have? FUN! And that's what sailing is all about. With your Montgomery 15 you'll be in the water sooner, sailing longer, and going places you've always dreamed of.

The Montgomery 15 is a boat you will be proud to own. That pride will swell every time someone goes out of their way to compliment you on her classic appearance which will happen everywhere you take her. And the exceptional value of Montgomery boats is reflected in their consistently strong resale value.

So if you're looking for the best trailerable mini-cruiser there is - MONTGOMERY makes it!